Southern Barbecue Baked Beans – These baked beans are an easy, classic, Southern side dish. This simple preparation is a throwback to how my Grandmother’s prepared their baked beans with a few twists. For these beans, you can cook and crumble the bacon and add it to the beans prior to baking or lay the bacon strips on top. The bacon strips placed on top of the beans is how my Mom and Gramma’s made them for every family and church potluck I ever attended.
The purpose of bacon is always to add smoke and a kicked-up layer of flavor. Either way you choose, bacon is a must! You’ll likely find some version of these beans at any Summer cookout or barbecue but, at my house, it’s an anytime dish. This meaty dish could be a meal in itself, when served over a hot buttered corn bread or corn muffins…now that’s some Southern love!
See it at The Weekend Potluck here
Southern Barbecue Baked Beans
Author: Melissa Sperka
Serves: 12
Ingredients
- ½ medium green pepper, finely diced
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
- olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- seasoned salt & black pepper
- 2 [28 oz] cans hickory flavored baked beans
- ⅔ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 [10 oz] can chili seasoned tomatoes [such as Rotel Chili Fixin's]
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp barbecue seasoning [such as Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple or Barbecue Magic]
- 8 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled or 8 slices to lay on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add a couple of drizzles of olive oil to a 12-inch cast iron skillet or similar. or if cooking the bacon use the pan drippings.
- Saute the diced green pepper, onion and ground beef until no pink remains in the beef. Season with seasoned salt and black pepper to your taste. After browning, drain any excess fat from the pan before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix in the baked beans, barbecue sauce, chili style tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard and barbecue seasoning. Stiir until the ingredients are well blended. [This is the point you would add cooked and crumbled bacon, if you like.]
- Place into the oven and bake for 60-75 minuites.
- Stir well, and allow the baked beans to rest for 5-10 minutes on the counter before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.
Melissa, I do my beans almost exactly the same way with adding the ground beef. My seasonings are a tad different and I don’t do the bbq sauce, but what an astounding addition?? I so have to do this, it’s almost identical. My hubby (major baked bean lover), and youngest dd thank you in advance!!!
Didi, my family wouldn’t know what to do with baked beans with no meat? 🙂 I also, cook and crumble the bacon and stir it into the beans as often as I put it on top. This method is paying homage to the great cooks before me. Enjoy!! 🙂
This is nearly a meal in itself! Looks great, Melissa!
Thank you Karen, indeed it is! It’s delicious served over a sweet buttered corn muffin! 🙂
Looks like I may have found my recipe for the church picnic. I make one similar to this but think I will have to try this one (maybe altered just a little – green peppers are not one of my favorites) :)Thanks for sharing!
Hi Paula! Do you think you’d prefer a sweet red pepper instead? No worries, they’re delicious with or without the pepper. Enjoy the picnic, blessings! Melissa
I`ve been cooking baked beans for a long time and I`ve never thought of put beef nor the tomatoes in my bean`s I`ll have to try this soon
Hello! When you get a chance to try it, I hope you like them. ☺
I’m currently down an oven. Do you think it would work as well if I cooked up the hamburger mixture, cooked and crumbled bacon and put everything into my crock on low for maybe, 4hrs? I love your page! So many great recipes!
Hi Courtney, thanks for you sweet comment. I think this would do perfectly in the slow cooker, just as you describe, cooking the bacon and beef and mixing it into the beans. It may not take 4 hours, just keep a watch on it. Happy slow cooking!
World’s Greatest Beans – I tossed my old BBQ bean recipe. I can’t tell you how many rave reviews I received, a definite keeper!!!
Tanya, what a sweet note! I’m thrilled you loved these beans as much as we do. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know.
Absolutely divine! I made these beans on a rainy day and it was fit for a king. My husband that is! My husband is a picky eater and he enjoyed this recipe. I am going to make it for Mother’s Day along with some cornbread. Keeping the day simple. Thanks for the recipe, I am keeping this in my archive to use often.
How wonderful, thanks so much for letting me know!
I’ve been doing this for years up here in CT, but without the cornbread (Yankees hate cornbread, LOL), with ground cayenne pepper and Adobe seasoning to zing it up a bit and served with some chopped raw onions on top. I call it New England Chili.